photoshoot with brette

i thought,

you look cute today.

maybe i can snap a sweet picture.

a little 22 month old moment in time.

and then i remembered that 22 month olds

don't take easy pictures.

 

i started trying this morning before i ever even

got pants on you and your hair was fresh...
bow still intact.

but no, you weren't interested.

mickey mouse was on tv

and nothing is better than mickey mouse.

 

later you were interested in my phone
and asked if you could get your picture taken,

but then you ran towards me yelling "cheese!"

and well,

that's not exactly the photo i was going for.

 

 

once you did finally decide to sit down and smile,

your pigtails are lopsided,

you have a pink plastic phone in your hands

and you are trying to figure out your best model face.

 

so there it is peeps,

brette today.

the best i could get.

can't wait for the newborn photoshoot
with this big sis.
should be interesting.

nursery time

after yesterday's post about our house,

i realized that i am super ready to

get that nursery DONE.

or at least started.

 

we're buying the same crib we did for B,

because it will grow with each of the girls

and eventually it acts as the headboard for a full-size bed.

i never plan on buying another.

its the graco benton 5-in-1 convertible crib,

found at walmart.

its on the top of my list.

my brother has eden's crib mattress,

and i think he's going to let me have that.

score.

 

 

we already have a dresser from our guest room,

but its not very cute,

so i think i'm going to hide it in the closet.

we used brette's dresser as a changing table too,

but since we don't have that option this time,

sheri (ronnie's sister) offered up their old one.

it's a natural wood color and i like the idea of

mixing white with natural wood.

i was even thinking of doing a little spray

or if they don't want it changed, i could use decals.

like this, but only smaller and just white triangles.

 

 

plus i want to add a side table/stump next to our rocking chair.

something like this:

 

as for decorations,

i'm really into the native american/tribal vibe.

and i love the idea of using gold, black and white

along with the natural wood and pops of color.

i'm thinking a lot of the "color" could come from

a really cool aztec rug, but i haven't been able to find one yet.

here are some pics from my pinterest board for her.

 

 

and i have these juuust waiting for me on esty.

 

 

instead of doing a gallery wall,

i think i'm just going to buy these two prints in a large size

and have them take up my one large wall.

this room is a little different because

one whole wall is windows and a window bench.

it cuts down on how you can set up the furniture

and your wall space.

but i'm excited to get started.

now i just have to bust out the ol' credit card and

tell ronnie about it later.

 

 

 

 

 

free tours: part two

F I V E months ago i made this video:

 

 

remember it?

oh geez.

just watching it makes me want to kill myself.

i still can't believe how crazy things were for awhile.

now i'm sitting here with this view of my finished

master bedroom and it almost feels like two different houses.

 

 

don't get me wrong.

things are not done.

the downstairs still needs work.

and so do the bathrooms,

but when i look back at that first video...

my house seems pretty amazing now.

 

and i promise to do one more video

in five months so you can

(hopefully)

see things completed.

 

i got your back, boo

 

 

 

so i obviously have to write about my bff's traumatic few weeks.

you guys know kassie.

i've posted about her before

here

here

here
here

here

and here

i'm sure there's more,

but you get the idea.

friends since kindergarten,

partners for life,

true bff's.

we're only a few months apart,

a young (cough cough) 31 yrs old.

and then she went and had a freaking stroke on me.

what the heck, kassie.

and on april fools day.

even less funny.
this hits a little too close to home
because her mom passed away several years ago from a stroke.
that's what caused kass to change her whole life.
quit her job.
go back to school.
helps others that go through this.
she actually leads the stroke support group at the hospital - -
the same one the nurse told her about this week.
but only as patient this time.
what the hell, right?

but its not ALL bad.

she really is ok.

there are no immediate side effects, thank god.

but they're keeping her in the hospital

until they get her blood thin enough to go home

because there is still a big blood clot looming

and that. is. scary.

no more strokes, please.

 

her life will have to change.

no work for three months.

no more birth control

(which we are all secretly happy about - - time to have babies!)

but a natural birth is no longer an option for her.

she can't do anything that would be jarring to her body.

no roller coasters, tubing, even getting her hair washed at

a beauty salon because of where the sink would hit her in the neck.

(that's where her tear was)

i want to strap her down and not let her move.

and i'm pretty sure, right now, she's down with that too.

you can read the whole medical run down here:

feel free to donate while you're there too

and send prayers.
lots of prayers.

 

http://www.gofundme.com/kassiedewitt

 

and thank you to everyone for all you are doing for her.

there is no one that deserves it more.

 

springing

we had a nice easter with family,

but i'm super pissed at myself because i didn't get one pic

of brette in her dress.

she was adorable and sported a little white bonnet.

i promise to put her back in it

and recreate the moment.

and we made it back to bass pro

for round two with the easter bunny.

this time the bunny didn't run off sick

and we were able to get brette a picture.

she was in heaven.

you can't tell by this photo but

she loved the bunny.

talked about it for days.

bunny?  lap? 

sorry B, you only get one turn.

 

 

and look at her last year.

same adorable baby.

 

 

and a comparison...

 

 

easter makes it officially spring and

we've had some beautiful flowers bloom

over the last few weeks.

its fun to see what's been planted around here

since this is our first spring at the house.

now i'm just waiting around for all the trees to blossom.

we have big plans for the outdoors at our new home,

but of course,

that comes last.

i'm hoping we might get around to it next year.

we need to cut down some stuff,

plant more grass,

get rid of a few flower beds,

plant a few bushes

and

repaint the house and the shed.

all that fun stuff.

 

hope you enjoyed your holiday weekend

and are back to doing all the things you gave up for lent.

too bad my "lent" lasts until the end of july.

wah wah.

bunny style

i bought brette's easter dress last spring.

i saw it, loved it and had to have it.

its been hanging in her closet for a year

and i'm super excited to bust it out.

 

(found at crazy 8)

 



then last week i decided to prepare her easter basket.

we bought her a book,

a dress,

a jumper,

hair ties,

a coloring book,

and a new cup.

she should love it.

its the perfect easter basket for a her 2nd easter.

i might even give her a m&m egg.

i'm trying to not focus on all the candy.

we also bought her some cute little jammies

for easter morning and a stuffed lamb that she

has cabbaged onto and won't put down.

we  might have gone a little overboard

or maybe we shouldn't try shopping when she's with us.

 

(all found at target)

 

ps- the easter bunny got sick when we were waiting in line

for her picture, but i'm determined to go back and try it again tomorrow.

fingers crossed.

she seemed super excited to sit on his lap so i'm

thinking it might be a cute picture.

 

happy easter!

 

soup too late

i know its april fools

but i really am giving you a soup recipe.

i know that there is a good chance you won't use it

until next fall,

but you never know.

last year it snowed in may.

 

its called 'no peek stew'

and here's the twist:

you put it in the oven.

weird, right?

i tried it when we visited family in IL.

ronnie's cousin made it and we both loved it.

when she told me how easy it was and

that you throw everything in a pot and put it in the oven

for three hours,

i had to try it out myself.

 

2 lbs beef stew meat

2 c cubed potatoes

1 c chopped celery

2 c sliced carrots

2 c diced onion

3 c tomato juice (V-8)

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

5 tbls minute tapioca

(optional: 1 can sliced mushrooms)

 300 degrees for 3 hours with lid on.
 

canned mushrooms freak me out and

ronnie hates mushrooms so i didn't add that part,

but if they were in the original batch i had in IL,

i didn't notice.

 

i questioned the tapioca,

but you don't taste it at all.

 

 

enjoy!

either now or in 6 months.